Educators as the Catalyst for Change in Career Development Presented by Toni R. Tollerud Ph.D. LCPC, NCC, NCSC, ACS Distinguished Teaching Professor February 27, 2015 VALEES In-service

Change  When you think of change, what pops into your thinking?  How do you promote change in your school, classroom, curriculum?  What skills do you use to influence others to think differently?

Change Change is defined as “making something different.” Leaders of change know that first they must determine what it is that they hope to change, and then they work to create the methods for changing the behavior or situation.

Vital Behaviors To implement the change you want, you can use 4 strategies that help determine exactly what you want to change.

Vital Behavior Strategies  1. Notice the obvious  2. Look for crucial moments that put success at risk  3. Learn from positive deviants  4. Spot culture busters

Notice the Obvious  Look for behaviors that are obvious or underused. If you want to help your students, what is obvious that will positively help them change their direction to one that more addresses what they want? Attending class, Developing projects that feed student interest and passion Making new friends Building a stronger relationship with the student

Look for crucial moments  Most of the time we forge ahead and take care of business in the classroom without looking at what is working and what isn’t. Notice when it is not at its best and observe this.  What can you suggest to your students when their behavior is diminishing their potential? How do they handle disappointment? How might you help them minimize these times and turn around negativity?

Learn from Positive Deviants  Do you think of yourself as a positive deviant? …..” a person who, by all rights, ought to have a problem but for some reason doesn’t.”  Help students see how they might be able to overcome problems by introducing them to people who are successful. Link and connect them with strong mentors and role models.

Spot Culture Busters  What can you do to reverse cultural norms and taboos in the classroom and school? –Includes unwritten rules in the school –Observe long standing tradition and determine if it is inhibiting potential and change –These norms can be powerful forces that keep creativity and success limited

The Myth of Average  This interesting Ted Talk gives us an indication of what might be old rules that inhibit student potential and success   The Myth of Average The Myth of Average   Myth-of-Average-Todd-Rose-a

Sources of Influence  There are two basic aspects of behavior that allow us to become catalysts for change with ou students and our programs….. 1. Can I do what’s required?  Am I ABLE? 2. Will it be worth it?  Am I MOTIVATED?

Influencing change  Personal  Influences at the intrinsic level to build personal ability and intentional practice.  Social  Occurs at the group level where you can draw on the power of the social arena to influence others. Motivate and enable new behaviors.  Structural  Used the least but critically important to change. Includes providing incentives to help people motivate others and provide support for vital behaviors. Motivation Motivation and and Ability Ability

Sources of Influence  Motivation  Help Them Love What They Hate  Provide Encouragement  Change Their Economy  Ability  Help Them Do What They Can’t  Provide Assistance  Change Their Space

Changing Behaviors  Changing behaviors requires that you incorporate all six of these behaviors into your work.

Personal Influencing  Personal Motivation –You can help others love what they currently hate by allowing them choices, creating direct experiences, telling meaningful stories, and turning the tedious into a game  Personal Ability –Help others learn new skills and practicing these skills –Practice how to recover from setbacks and what do to if they fail in earlier attempts –Include not only learn technical and interpersonal skills but intrapersonal skills as well…identify and handle their emotions

Social Influencing  Social Motivation –Need to be respected and connected –Not just talk the talk, but walk the walk –Create new norms by holding others accountable…praise and critique vital behaviors –Everyone yearns to be accepted, respected, and connected.  Social Ability –Rely on social capital –Identify help, consent, assistance, and cooperation from others that will facilitate facing something new or risky –Develop a strategy that offers the social capital required to make the change inevitable

Structural Influencing  Structural Motivation  Involves extrinsic motivations  Rely on the personal and social the most  Link rewards to the behaviors you want to see repeated  Reward behaviors not just outcomes  Structural Ability  Is the right environment surrounding you  What is the impact of nonhuman forces, building, space, light, influencing our success  Analyze your life in terms of its environment, are they moving toward success or holding you back?

Being the change agent “We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.” Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder

Using the Model for Change in Education Identify one of the aspects of being a catalyst that you learned in this workshop that you believe can be used within career development education to benefit our students. What might you do differently as a result of today?

You are the Catalyst